AZ also known as Anthony Cruz is an American Rapper and songwriter hailing from Brooklyn , New York . He is famous for being a longtime and frequent music partner of East Coast rapper Nas and also he was a part of hip hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.
AZ Profile/Wiki/Bio
Anthony Cruz was born on 9 March, 1972 and his age is 50 years old (as of 2022).He has achieved his first break with his debut album Doe or Die which was initially a notable commercial success paving his way to the musical industry which is very rare and stupefying. The album has peaked #15 at Billboard 200 and also reached top position in the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. Doe or Die was known for making the theme of mafioso rap famous.
Cruz’s third album 9 Lives which was released in 2001 has peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200 by the time of its release stablizing his fame and position in the music industry. ( lives have also reached #4 position in R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. Several music singles produced by the Doe or Die album such as “Mo Money, Mo Murder, Mo Homicide” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) .
| Birth name | Anthony Cruz |
| Birthdate/Born on | 9 March 1972 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 50 |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn , New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Also Known As (AKA)/Other names | The Rap James Bond, AZ the Visualiza , Sosa |
| Occupations | Rapper , songwriter |
| Debut | Doe or Die |
| Genres | East Coast hip hop, mafioso rap |
| Labels | Quiet Money, Real Talk, Koch, Noo , Trybe, Virgin, EMI |
AZ Relationship Status, Affairs & More
The life of AZ has been always personal and he has taken enough measures to let the world know what’s behind his professional life. According to the sources, AZ is single and he is not dating anyone at the moment. There were speculations that he may have dated someone secretly but it was not supported with enough proofs and statements.
Currently AZ is 50 years old and is single. There may have been relationships in the past which were not exposed to the world but AZ likes to keep his personal life personal and not let anyone know about it.
There is a unpopular rumor that AZ has dated a women named Free Marie who was a media personality, television producer, choreographer, and philanthropist .
| Marital Status | Single |
| Girlfriends/Affairs | Not Known |
AZ Net Worth & More
AZ reportedly has a net worth of $10 Million where most of the source of income was his musical earnings. He was named as “Most Underrated Rapper of all time’ and also listed in “top 50 MC’s of our time(1987-2007)” by an online magazine called About.com where he was also crowned ‘arguably the most underrated lyricist of all time‘. He was nicknamed as ‘The Rap James Bond’ ,‘ Sosa’ , ‘AZ the Visualiza’.
| Net Worth | $10 Million |
AZ Biography, Life Story, Trivia & More
Anthony Cruz was born in Brooklyn to a African-American mother and Dominican Father. He grew up in East New York where he lived with his mother and sister. AZ started writing the rap lyrics since he was 12 years old. He has become friends with Nas who was a young rapper from Queens . When Nas started working on his debut album Illmatic , he has invited AZ to work with him in a studio. This has made Az enter the Music industry.
AZ’s debut album ‘Doe or Die’ released on 1995 was a instant hit and has garnered him many listeners since his debut. His follow up albums like ‘Pieces Of A Man(1998)‘ , ‘9 Lives(2001)’ , ‘Aziatic(2002)’ has made him a famous rapper in a very short time.
After numerous delays , the sequel to his debut album ‘ Doe or Die II’ has released on 2021 and it has received positive reviews from the music critics and it has reached #60 in Us top Album Sales (Billboard).
AZ was also nominated for Grammy Award in the category ‘Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group’ in 2003 for ‘The Essence’ which also features Nas.
AZ has a very unique style in rap . His style is known for his smooth and rhythmic cadence of delivering his words. He has a very large vocabulary and he was known as ‘one of the greatest rappers as far as lyrics and longevity’ which makes him instantly recognizable when compared with his friend and collaborator Nas.
AZ Social Media Channels & Links
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